Play Has No Limits in Sony's Latest Live-Action PS5 Ad

When I see PlayStation adverts, I would actually love to see some actual gameplay footage of titles to look forward to as opposed to people running around the streets going crazy. Nowhere near as good as the adverts from days gone by..

what a pointless advert

i just dont get why they think something like this would help the brand or sell games or consoles

Seeing some Playstation characters like Ratchet and Astro running and jumping alongside the people would be fun. Or like Kratos calmly drinking a cup of tea at a cafe, as people run by in a frenzy, might be a funny juxtaposition. So many things u can do with iconic PS characters, use them.

@Bionic-Spencer why? All people will do then is moan that the gameplay footage is not representative of the game they are playing and cry foul blah,blah,blah..you know its true..."entitlement knows no limits."

The best console advert of all time? Life is short from Xbox. That's the one that has a man flying through the air to his death.

@trev666 it is a bit of an odd one isn't it. I get it but it is a bit obscure and trying to be a bit too clever.

@LifeGirl yeah I loved that advert..brilliantly conceived (no pun intended) 🤣

@Bionic-Spencer I see what you did there. 👀😉

the comments on sonys videos are BRUTAL

every video has more dislikes than likes

This ad seems to address the Amateur players, which dare to buy physical (!) disks (!).

For anyone outside of gaming watching this, it really doesn’t scream ‘PlayStation’ until you see the console.
And that’s the point of an advert, to get none gamers interested. Those of us already in, don’t need this ‘non gameplay’ advert.

The Champions League ones are the best ads Sony have done in years and they're each about 30 seconds long.

It has limits if you buy a console with no disc drive

Some people are missing the point of this ads. But i don't expect much from PS commenters who always complaining about PS5 Pro articles.

I think we can understand exactly what this ad was trying to message, based on the demographics... exactly the people who have turned to mobile for gaming (edit: or PC), and actually don't care about consoles anymore. However, the music is completely mis-matched IMO... as it seems aimed at 30-50yo.

The point is that this ad is almost entirely about iconography and youth (I mean 20-30 market). The market I would suggest that Sony has lost (going by the very limited uptake on console ownership).

If I were running their marketing, I would go back-to-basics. Console gaming is when you just want to play genuine great games... and don't want to f..k around with the bs wanna be try-hard stuff. If you just want things to work. (Unfortunately, the PS5 Pro complicates that messaging... as it's looking more and more like a PC... and they clearly also want to reach into the mobile market, but are just doing a really bad job of it)

@Northern_munkey - don't take this the wrong way... but what decade were you born? I actually think this would be an interesting poll for PS... how old are people who read this site? For me... (as a 50+ bracketted person), this ad looked like post-teenager fluff. But that could just be my age. So I'm genuinely curious about the breakdown of liking this ad, based on age.

@PuppetMaster And what was the point? Since you mentioned...

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare 52 just turned..

@Northern_munkey Same....so I'm even more curious - what did you like? For me, it could have been advertising man-tampons for all it spoke to gaming (it just felt generically nostalgic in a way that teenagers think about 90's music now... reflecting a more wistful, wing-free existence). But, I'm happy to accept that's just me.

Edit - and don't get me wrong... the ad is perfectly 'fine', and it's totally not offensive to anyone's sensibilities. Then again, I also like the latest Grammerly ads...

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare

I really like this advert. Its about branding and association of fun escapism. Its certainly not the best of Sonys fantistic advertising linage, but its certainly not poor either. Its also clearly not aimed at the already invested demographic either, its clearly for those that havent invested yet, stating fun=playstation.
If you are seeking age demographics, I hit 60 this year.

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare I liked that it appeared to show that there's no barriers as well as no limits..maybe I was reading too much into it but as odd as I found it I found it made me think about for a while..

@Titntin @Northern_munkey thanks for the honest responses. As I suggested, it's an easy ad that speaks of "easier times"... I just don't think it's going to hit with it's target demographic... slightly older than my 17 yo son... who's now more or less exclusive on PC.
My issue is (as I said), the music vibe strikes a nostalgic tone, the dream-like kid-fun also is wistful - not tones I think is generally going to hit with (what I think is) the target audience. Edit - then again... reflecting on this, it might well catch some early 20's that remember the simplicity of console gaming when they were "care-free".

Us old-timers are either crusted-on, or out-to-pasture... and not really needing advertisements to change behaviour.

Still, it's interesting to hear other perspectives, so I really appreciate your responses.

"4 The Players" - still a classic tag-line. "Live with 5?" - crap.

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare "Us old-timers are either crusted-on, or out-to-pasture..." speak for yourself 🤣

@Northern_munkey I knew that would get a laugh... or a sigh... at least a reaction.

@themightyant this is lifestyle marketing.... it's not about the product, it's entirely about brand association as you said (Sony = carefree fun). Perhaps it's my experience with my kids, but I think that console makers have a hard time these days, because I think that we're at that stage where younger audiences want "bring anywhere, play anytime" or "bring me ALL the RTX... in ultrawide".

Perhaps a better question is - what games are actually that appealing to the 18-25 demographic? I dunno these days. I have to admit... I was surprised my 12yo has flipped dramatically from BTOW-TOTK to RDR2... not one I saw coming.

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare no probs mate, we are all different so I dont expect adverts to work for everyone, but I see the value in this and it appeals to me.
Id also like to think Sony did its market research before spending their money on it, but given the Concord fiasco, I cant say that out loud or I'll be lauged out of the thread! 🤣

at 00:47 there is a date of 3/12/2024 on the train time board which some are suggesting might be a tease at their next showcase...

@Titntin and @themightyant already said it @Oz_Who_Dat_Dare

That was a weird and funny commercial.more of that is needed.word up son

@themightyant my youngest is definitely moving on from the Switch/Laptop/tablet gaming... but I think the interest in PS is likely just game-by-game. My eldest used to play Fortnite heavily - but after he got himself a job, and bought his own rig (a decent 4070) he has moved more to co-op shooters. Last game he played on console was Elden Ring a few months ago (some of our best father-son moments), but he just doesn't have the time to spare for long SP games anymore. So he jumps on his own PC when he can (as a high school student).

Edit - as an aside...I find that he's becoming quite nostalgic towards Fortnite - of all things.

I kinda think that's the reality that Sony is facing... time-poor, or option-rich players... who don't need a console. The life-style association with gaming is "limited time"... and social. My youngest is an odd-one-out, as I suspect console gaming is still a "transitional" gaming environment between switch and whatever is next.

this commercial would’ve been less bad if it weren’t for the p*ss filter ,

has no games too

@Steel76 hahaha the crash bandicoot one is epic

I LOVE this ad...so good...

Honestly it's pretty cute but the "Long Live Michael" will forever be the greatest Playstation ad imo.

@Dampsponge You can also buy a Xbox X with no discdrive more expensive and no upgrades oh yeah they have a bigger SSD.

Play has no limits....... Someone should tell my bank manager that 😂😂😂